Breaking Out
by Amaya X Kyuri X Asuni
Summary: Asuni was a member of the Royal Guard, the Fire Lord's personal troop of soldiers to be used for anything he commanded, usually on the wrong side of the law. Asuni is ordered to go undercover on the banished prince's ship as the Fire Lord's spy. But are is the loyalty of the Royal Guards really so absolute, and are they really as vicious as everyone thinks? ZukoXOC Warning: Blood


Ozai smiled to himself as he sat on his throne, basking in the heat from the flames flickering in front of him. He felt so deliciously _royal_ on the throne, luxurious robes flowing around him, the wall of flames separating from anyone he met with, the raised dais keeping him three feet off the ground. The familiar weight of the crown could be felt pressed into his topknot and he reveled in it. He reveled in the power around him as Zuko probably never would.

Zuko…

Ozai's smile turned into a frown, gold eyes glared hatefully through the flames. Zuko was Ursa's child just as much as Azula was all him, and how he wished she could hold the throne. Zuko had shown disgraceful weakness in the Agni Kai a few days before, pleading for mercy. He was fourteen, he should be confident enough in his bending abilities for face his own father. Pleading, on his knees, completely prostrate… Disgraceful for a prince.

His banishment was completely deserved. He had humiliated not only himself, but Ozai, in front of the entire court. The burn was only the beginning. Banishment until he returned with a particular prize. A hunt for the Avatar… Basically, a permanent exile.

Ozai had been delighted when Iroh had volunteered to go with Zuko to continue his training. Two obstacles gone in one fell swoop. Sadly though, they couldn't leave at once. Zuko had to heal for a few days, a ship had to be supplied, a crew assembled, weapons readied. Launching a ship was no overnight endeavor.

That suited his purposes fine though. That gave his messenger hawk time to arrive and gave Lo Shen time to travel here with what he requested. The man should be arriving today, and when he did, and then the boat could leave.

"Your highness, Lo Shen of the Royal Guards, and companion," the herald said, looking at the man beside him in distaste, an expression identical to the one anybody beheld when they saw Lo Shen.

He was an old man, slightly hunched, but with a bulk of muscles that kept him from looking frail. His grey hair was pulled into a topknot with military neatness. His equally grey beard was neatly trimmed into a long point. Thin, cracked lips nestled under a bushy mustache, and dark eyes gleamed cunningly from the shadows of a heavy brow. His nose was broken in at least three places, and he was garbed head to toe in armor, a gigantic sword strapped across his back. He might have been a handsome, if aging, man, had it not been for the three lines of scar tissue raking down his face, tugging the outer corner of his left eye and the left side of his mouth down into a sloppy, frowning expression. He also constantly smelled of spilled blood.

"Come forwards," Ozai beckoned and Lo Shen advanced, dropping to take a knee with a grace that belied his age. "Leave us," he added to the herald, who beat a hasty retreat in a kowtow. "You've brought what I requested?" This was directed at Lo Shen.

"Indeed," Lo Shen said, in a low, smooth voice. "Quit lurking in the shadows!" he snapped at the slim figure that had entered behind him.

"The work of a Royal Guard is best done from the shadows," said a soft, feminine voice as a girl drifted forwards. Lo Shen laughed at that as she advanced and knelt beside him.

"Well taught," he said, eyes sparkling with mirth as he glanced at Ozai conspiratorially.

The girl was no more than fourteen, but Ozai knew she must be skilled if Lo Shen brought her. She wore a white shirt with a wide red collar and billowy sleeves. The black, twisting design of the Royal Guard was emblazoned across her stomach. She wasn't armored nearly as heavily as Lo Shen, with only bracers made of blackened metal, a bit of red fabric peeking out of the top of both. Her pants were tight and black, tucked into high black boots. Her hair was brown, fixed into a topknot with her bangs flopping over a black headband. Her shirt hung in front of and behind her, poleyn-like black skirting hanging to either side of her hips. A red belt held it neatly in place, a skein of liquid and a small knife hanging from it. It was the only weapon she wore – openly at least – and looked positively comical next to Lo Shen's massive sword.

"Her name?" Ozai pressed.

"Asuni," Lo Shen filled in.

"Can she bend?"

"Of course!" Lo Shen said, sounding mildly offended. "You said you wanted the best I could give you that wouldn't raise suspicion. That's her." He pointed one thick finger at Asuni. She dipped her head forwards slightly but Ozai still saw the pleased flush on her face at the praise from the older man.

"Can she fight well?" Ozai challenged. "Is she strong?"

"Show him," Lo Shen nodded to Asuni. Asuni smirked.

She launched up into a handstand suddenly and slowly raised one hand until she balanced on only one arm. Powerful legs cut down suddenly and she was on her feet again, a chain clenched in her hand, the end tipped with a three-clawed hook that was the primary weapon of the Royal Guards.

Royal Guards were not guards, per se. They used to be, until a Fire Lord whose name was long lost to history disbanded them for using cruel and sneaky tactics in their pursuit of their jobs. They stayed banded together however, and kept taking in new pupils to teach and train. Now they served as the Fire Lord's private force, capable of anything from infiltration to assassination. They were vicious fighters, more suited to long-distance combat from the ends of their wicked, clawed chains, but they were just as deadly close up, which Asuni perfectly displayed.

Her claw arced around her on the end of the chain devastatingly as she twirled and snapped it expertly. It vanished up her sleeve without a trace and then the knife was in her hand, flying in hard slices punctuated with quick kicks and flying fists. Occasionally, water would flick out with her hands or feet from the skein at her hip. Even Ozai had to admit that the Royal Guards were a force he wouldn't want to stand against personally.

Asuni's display stopped as suddenly as it started as she dropped to her knee and sheathed her knife all in one smooth movement. The pause was so sudden it made Ozai blink in surprise before he collected himself.

"Satisfied?" Lo Shen smirked proudly.

"Very," Ozai said with a mirroring smirk. "But I must ask… A Waterbender?"

"Who better to send aboard a ship?"

"How did you find one so loyal?"

"We have a few captured Waterbenders we keep prisoners for healing. A few years back there was an initiative to breed with them and raise the children who could Waterbend to be loyal to the Royal Guards, so we can have healers we don't have to worry about turning on us."

"Interesting, a rather innovative," Ozai mused. "However, she won't be on the ship as a fighter. Can she hold down a cover as a musician?"

He gestured to the qin laid out before him in preparation. Asuni pulled it towards her and crossed her legs, sitting before it. She placed her hands on it and her fingers flew across the strings just as easily as her hands moved her weapons. Music filled the throne room, drifting soft and soothing through the air.

"Good," Ozai smiled. "I want monthly reports on my son's progress towards finding the Avatar."

"With all due respect sir," Lo Shen spoke up. "Do you really think your son is capable where three generations of Fire Lords failed?"

"Can't be too careful," Ozai said pointedly. "And I want to make sure Iroh isn't filling his head with dangerous ideas as well. Report to me on that too. You can use the messenger hawks on the ship. Say you're writing to your family or some such nonsense. Tag the letter with a purple ribbon. Do you understand?"

"Yessir!" Asuni barked with a military precision. Ozai smiled.

"Good. You're dismissed. You may take the instrument with you. You will be posing as an entertainer I've sent along for the voyage. The ship will leave at dawn tomorrow. Be aboard before then."

"Understood," Asuni and Lo Shen chorused.

"Dismissed," Ozai said, carelessly flicking a hand at them. The two of them rose and quit the room while Ozai settled back onto his cushion, already dreaming of life without his irritating brother.

* * *

The soldier nearest the gangplank paused upon seeing the young girl come up and step onto the deck.

"Excuse me, civilians aren't allowed on this ship," he said, moving to stand beside her. "This is a military ship. The passenger ships are at the other end of the dock."

"Is this the ship Prince Zuko's leading?" the girl asked nervously. "I-I'm supposed to be there."

"This is Prince Zuko's ship, the soldier blinked. "But… why are you supposed to be here? Who sent you?"

"F-Fire Lord Ozai," the girl stammered. The soldier looked at her and saw her big, star-struck eyes as she stared around the ship. She was undoubtedly a peasant and had probably never seen a military ship this close up before. He remembered the first time he got aboard a ship. He had been terrified of doing the wrong thing. She looked equally terrified. She probably was unused to dealing with soldiers as well.

"Fire Lord Ozai sent you?" he asked skeptically, though not unkindly, in light of her situation and obvious nerves.

"Yes, I… I suppose you could say I'm a gift?" she said slowly. "I'm a musician. I'm supposed to play for General Iroh and the prince when they request it."

"Just Iroh is fine," said the aforementioned General as he waddled over in his armor, a big smile on his face that contrasted with the bags under his eyes and his slightly slumped shoulders. He looked tired and worn, and Asuni didn't blame him. He was tending to a nephew who, if reports could be believed, had had half his face melted off.

"Iroh," Asuni said. "My name is Asuni. Like I said, I have a letter…" she trailed off and dug into her pocket, producing the paper sealed with the personal seal of the Fire Lord. Iroh took it and tucked it into his pocket.

"Ah, I trust you my dear. I'll have a room assigned to you immediately!"

Asuni smiled nervously. "Thank you," she said.

"Lieutenant Ji," Iroh called, beckoning the man over.

"General Iroh, sir?" he asked, eyes sparking. Ji's father had served under Iroh and had nothing but admiration for him. It had been a dream of his to serve under the commander who'd so impressed his father.

Now if only that dream hadn't come with a bratty prince attached…

"Take this girl and have her settled into a private room," Iroh said, gesturing to Asuni, who gave a hesitant wave.

"Uh, hello?" she said.

"Of course sir," Ji said with a snap salute. He turned to Asuni. "If you'll come with me miss?"

"Sure," Asuni said, scrambling after him as he descended down into the ship.

"How nice of my brother, to send us entertainment for our long journey!" Iroh said jovially, but his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Asuni wore a necklace, one that looked familiar. A small chunk of red jasper held in a delicate woven basket of silver. It looked as if the stone could be taken out and replaced with another. He knew that he'd seen something similar somewhere, he just couldn't place where.

* * *

That night, Asuni went to the rookery where the messenger hawks were kept. The doctor tended to them, as was typical, and she knew for a fact that he was asleep in his personal room down the hall. She crept towards the cages and lifted out two messenger hawks carefully. From her pocket, she pulled two messages, one tagged with a purple ribbon, the other with blue. She attached one to the leg of each messenger hawk and took them to the porthole, very carefully opening it to prevent squeaking. With a light toss of her wrist, and again, both birds were soaring off to their destinations.

She fingered her necklace. She'd seen Iroh looking at it. Likely he would be the biggest threat to her cover. The man was old but his mind was as keen as ever. As someone who had been in line for the throne, he knew the Royal Guards still existed. He might recognize it as an old signaling trick of theirs.

All Royal Guards wore one of those necklaces, even the men. They were made so that the color of the stone could be changed out. A simple but effective way of communicating should they run into other Royal Guards in the field, one that didn't require hand signals that might be spotted or complex passwords to memorize.

It was really quite simple. Each color had a meaning. Red meant you were on duty, and others should only approach if strictly necessary. Green meant you were waiting for a contact. White meant you were off duty. Yellow meant the person was a contact. Blue meant you were a healer there on business. Black meant you came bearing news of a death. Purple signified you needed backup as soon as possible.

* * *

Ozai smiled as he picked up the message tagged with purple. The first report from his new little spy, how exciting. He pulled the ribbon away and unrolled the scroll, reading eagerly.

_Successfully boarded ship. Message tagged as requested. Will report as information becomes available. General in the dark. No contact with Prince yet. Prince stays in room. Unknown if this is Prince's choice or General's. Cover established. Any instructions can be passed through Royal Guards._

"Things are going quite well," Ozai smiled, stroking his beard as he re-read the note. "Quite well indeed."

* * *

Lo Shen picked up the scroll that rested next to his dinner plate with a few others. This one was tagged with a purple ribbon, the only one tagged that way. He placed a bite of fish into his mouth and unrolled it as he chewed.

_I've boarded the ship. General Iroh poses the only threat to my cover. The others believe I'm a gift from the Fire Lord, entertainment for the journey. I've yet to meet the prince. He stays in his room, but I don't know if that's his choice or his uncle's. I suspect it's his. It's easy to maneuver the ship at night and dodge the guards, so communication shouldn't be a problem. I've been given a private room, as befitting a female on a ship of men, so I should be safe. _

_I'm currently red._

Lo Shen scoffed as he put down the note. "Of course you're red, what other color would you wear on a mission like this, silly girl? Blue?" He scoffed again and shook his head, lifting his chopsticks to his mouth and taking another bite of fish.

* * *

The day the prince emerged from his room was rather the occasion on the ship. Or at least, it was supposed to be. A huge meal of delicacies was prepared and Asuni was told to tune her qin in preparation to play. She sat in the private dining room of the royal family waiting for over an hour until the cook came in, grumbling irritably about wasted food and told her that the prince wasn't interested in anything but training.

"He's up on deck shooting fire at things," the burly man grumbled. "Sure not coming down here, no matter that people worked hard to try and make his first day out of hiding nice. Forget the common man, he's a prince, what do we matter? … Oh, and now the entertainment's ignoring me, that's just great."

Asuni rolled her eyes as she walked out of the room with her head bowed. It irked her to play the submissive role, the quiet, shy entertainer, who hadn't any knowledge of fighting or politics. She knew that she could have knocked most of the soldiers on their butts in seconds, and yet she was stuck being the entertainment, looked down upon because she was a luxury, not a necessity.

Asuni paused by the stairs up to the deck, taking a moment to quell her irritation so that it wouldn't show on her face. Mask in place, she slipped up and onto the deck, skirting along the railing. She could claim she was watching the sea, when in reality she was watching the prince from the corner of her eye.

And it was a good thing she was, or she wouldn't have noticed the fire coming right towards her back. Asuni reacted instinctively. She dropped onto her rear, hands gripping the rail, and kicked one foot up. Water rose out of the sea and arced over her head, splashing down behind her and blocking the fire.

Silence made it clear that no one had missed her little display. Asuni closed her eyes in irritation – curse her reflexes – and slowly stood up, composing her face into a nervous expression as she turned, hunching her shoulders and curving in on herself as if ashamed.

"A Waterbender, what an unexpected surprise!" Iroh said jovially, breaking the silence.

"Uncle, who is she?" the prince demanded. Half of his face was covered in bandages. It was clear why his aim was off them. "Why is there a Waterbender on our ship?"

"Your father sent her along as entertainment. She plays the qin very well!" Iroh said with a chuckle. "It's quite nice, to have music to accompany my pai sho games."

"She's a Waterbender!" the prince snapped, glaring at her with one eye. Asuni resisted the urge to straighten up and glare right back.

"Please," she said softly. "I-I can explain. M-My mother fled an arranged marriage in the North Pole. She went to the Fire Nation, where no one would look for her… but she fell sick and died. I've only taught myself and guessed… I'm really not a good bender. I just… I just reacted. I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to upset anyone."

"There there girl, it's alright," Lieutenant Ji said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "There's no harm in it. You can't help your parentage after all."

He wasn't making a snide remark about her Water Tribe heritage, though that's how it sounded, and everyone there knew it. If her mother had been fleeing a marriage, yet still had her, then that made Asuni a child born out of wedlock, a bastard, something shameful in most high society.

"We'll dump her at the next port," the prince barked. "I won't have anyone on my ship that's not necessary."

"Ah, but nephew!" Iroh broke in. His tone was happy, but there was a hint of warning in it. "I find her music quite necessary for me to fully enjoy my afternoon tea these days!"

"Who cares about your tea?" Zuko demanded, whirling on his uncle. Asuni raised an eyebrow, straightening slightly. Iroh glanced at her and she immediately dropped back into her submissive posture, biting her lip as if ashamed for being caught watching.

"Prince Zuko, we've taken the girl quite far from home already," Iroh reminded him. "It would be cruel to abandon her in unfamiliar territory. And besides, she was a gift from your father, sent along to entertain us. It would be rude to abandon her. One must not refuse the niceties of the Fire Lord," Iroh reminded him, though his tone seemed to hold a trace of bitterness.

"Fine then," Zuko huffed. "I suppose she can stay. But I want her to work around the ship! I won't have her lounging around all day!"

* * *

And so Asuni worked. She quickly realized that the prince was trying to work her so hard she left of her own accord. Not that she would have even if she hadn't been on assignment. She would wake up every morning to find rows and rows of laundry and mending courtesy of the crew, then it was her duty to help the cook prepare breakfast. She personally had to deliver Iroh and Zuko's meals to them and play while they ate. She also had to play while Iroh competed in pai sho against the hopelessly outclassed crew. She helped to swab the deck with her Waterbending, and then, presumably, tumbled into bed.

At least, that's what everyone thought she did. In reality, Asuni trained until midnight by the light of a candle, alone in her room. Long hours and hard work were not new to her. She was completely capable of staying up until dawn and still being completely functional the next day, despite all the work she had to do.

When the crew noticed the dark bruises under her eyes, they assumed it was from stress keeping her up. They had no idea of the real reason. To Asuni's surprise, they came to her defense, speaking to Iroh sternly about all the work she was forced to do. Somehow, she'd become a sort of mascot to the crew, a little sister for them to protect and dote on. They'd come back from port and bring her little treats like sweets, and, occasionally, a bauble for her hair or a bit of new sheet music. It gave her more power than she expected to have aboard the ship when she realized that she commanded more respect from the crew than Zuko himself did.

Needless to say, this did not amuse Zuko nearly as much as it did her.

* * *

**And that's the prologue! Now, like with my Avatar Amaya series, there's a chance to have your own original character make an appearance in the story. The Royal guards uniforms and primary weapons, those chains with the claws on the end, are from another fandom. It's a game. The first five people who review or PM with the game it's from will be allowed to design their own Royal Guard member to appear at a later date in the story. Sound cool?**


End file.
